We went to Fareham in Hampshire for very special wedding, today 08.08.17, my fathers. My father who is ninety, married his girlfriend of thirty-four years, his new wife is seventy-two. The day was beautiful, even though we had some rain, it didn’t matter, the day just shone. I just wanted to make a note of this special day……so I do not miss their first anniversary, I’m terrible at dates 🙂 Also my oldest dog Nipper is in the vets, we had to rush him there three days ago as he was really very poorly and we found out he has very bad diabetes. The vets have had to try and level his blood, which we think they have done, although he is still very poorly, he is starting to respond, so fingers cross he will pull though. Anyway we will continue with the real reason for this post…… Newark Castle in Nottinghamshire. We visited last year 2016, we had passed Newark several times over the years, but this time we managed to stop.
Newark Castle and Gardens are lovely, formal gardens bordered by the remaining walls of Newark Castle which was partly destroyed in 1646 at the end of the English Civil War. The Castle has stood proudly on the banks of the River Trent for nearly 900 years.
A little history….
The castle’s foundations date back to Saxon times but it was developed as a castle by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1123. Known as the Gateway to the North, the castle endured numerous sieges during the Baronial and English Civil war before it was partially destroyed in 1646. From the riverside the bulk of Newark Castle looks extremely impressive, looming above the water like a forbidding barrier. It is only when you approach from the town that you realise how ‘one-sided’ the structure is. For on the town side, there are almost no remaining walls, though the towers are still impressive.
I also took a mixture of black & white, as the castle grounds are used for weddings and we counted three while we were there. Although the weather was very cloudy, it was still warm day.
Echoes of the Past 
Dear Lynn, What an incredible, touching post and such diverse situations going on simultaneously~ how wonderful your dad is still around and that you could attend his amazing wedding ~ what a milestone and something to be sure is recorded in your family history stories. I do hope your little dog companion Nipper will respond well to treatment and pull through this current situation . My thoughts are with you and him for a happy outcome. Enjoyed the photos too! Congratulations to your dear dad and his new bride.
Hi Val, thank you and it was a lovely day and one we will all remember. Nipper came home this afternoon as he responded well to treatment, but has to have two injections a day for the rest of his life, but he is so much better. The vet said if we had waited another day, he would have died, All the other dogs made such a fuss of him, it was really quite cute, I didn’t think that they really missed him, but they did 🙂
Really good news and know you are relieved re; Nipper~ and although far from an ideal situation when anyone has diabetes, at least he will still have some time to spend with you and his dog family , more walks and treats still to enjoy . I am amazed you actually made it through the wedding considering what was happening with your dog and then read here that your husband also had a bad fall! Thank goodness nothing more than bruising Hope he is recovering and things more or less back to ‘normal’ there.
.
Thank you Val, I think I went into automatic drive and I am still in it, as we had the Inland Revenue in our office all morning, making sure we are paying our staff correctly….thank goodness we are….so now I am starting to chill out a bit. Steve still cannot lay down to sleep and has to sleep in a chair, which makes for a very tired Steve 😦 But on the good side, Nipper is reverting back to puppyhood, which is good for nearly an eight year old dog, the injections are making him so much better, just have to keep an eye on him. The lady in kennels said she is quite happy to give him the injections when he goes on holiday with them, which is good news, as i was a bit worried about that 🙂 So yes things are being to get back to normal, well as much as they can lol 🙂 Hope you are keeping well, as I know a lot of your time is given over to petitioning for animals, which is wonderful, but can be upsetting, so I hope you have some time for you 🙂
Oh, Lynne, my heart is breaking for your dog and full of joy for your father. Talk about conflicting emotions! I hope they will be able to stabilize Nipper and he’ll be up and around in no time. I hope your dad and his lady will have many more years together. What an incredible event. 🙂
And that’s how quickly thoughts slip out of my mind these days! The castle is fantastic. It looks like it would be a great one to explore. Thanks for all the pics. 🙂
Its a lovely castle and looks really fantastic from the riverside, glad you liked the photos 🙂
Thank you Pat, it was a bit traumatic, because also, Steve ended up in hospital on the Friday, he fell over and really hurt his back. The hospital checked him over and said it was really bad bruising. This was in Somerset a 5 hour drive from where we live, so he stayed over night in a hotel and drove home the next day to take Nipper to the vets. But we made the wedding, which was lovely and now Nippers home, he has to have two injections a day for the rest of his life, but he is so much better…. So really everything ended up ok in the end…..fingers crossed 🙂
Ouch! I hope you pampered Steve a little when he came home. 🙂
Oh I did and still am 🙂
Touching post, Lynne, and so many beautiful photos!! Best wishes for your Dad! And fingers crossed your little love gets better quickly! Marcus
That you Marcus and for the best wishes for my Dad, he really enjoyed himself 🙂 Nipper has come home safely, he has to have injections for rest of his life, but we can do that for hime 🙂 Lynne
Good to know, Lynne 🙂
Thank you Marcus 🙂
great spot for a wedding
Yes, the gardens are really nice with the back drop of the castle 🙂
Wow, Lynne! Congrats to your father…. And I do hope Nipper pulls through
Thank you Sue, it was a lovely wedding 🙂 and Nipper is home safe and sound now, but has to have two injections a day for the rest of his life……but we can do that for him 🙂
Oh, good to here Nipper is home!
Thank you 🙂
Hope Nipper recovers quickly. Great shots of Newark Castle, love the shot of the guy with the vacuum cleaner. 🙂
Thank you, he is home now, but has to have two injection a day for the rest of his life, but we will get use to it, he has to 🙂 I know I love that shot as well, I couldn’t take it quick enough, I was worried he was going to stop 🙂
Love to Nipper!! Having a sick pet is very upsetting. So disappointed that we weren’t able to come for the wedding. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Alison, Nipper is now home and well, he has to have 2 injections a day for the rest of his life, but he is so much better. As to Grandad’s wedding, it was lovely and he and Chris really enjoyed themselves. Fleur has taken some photos and I am sure she will send you some, it was a shame that you could not make it, but it is a long way to come in such a short notice, but they knew the you were thinking of them 🙂
Glad Nipper is home again! I’ll get in touch with Fleur about photos 🙂
I took some but it will take ages for mine to get sorted as I have no more room on the PC at the moment, but I will post them as soon as I get rid of some more photos 🙂 Nipper sends his love 🙂
What a lovely place to have a wedding! All the best to your dad and his bride. Sorry to hear about nipper ,hope he keeps improving for you.
Thank you Deb, it was a lovely wedding and Nipper is now home, he is so much better, we have to give him 2 injections a day, but we will get use to it as its for the rest of his life. Steve is a dietetic, but he just had tablets thank goodness 🙂
I love learning the history of castles. This looks like such a lovely day.
Thank you Mitiele, it was a lovely castle to visit 🙂 Lynne
Firstly congratulations to your father, Lynne! I hope that it was a lovely day. I am very sorry to hear about Nipper and I hope that by now you have had some better news. From your comments above it sounds as if he’s on the mend, which is a relief. Too much happening all at once by the sound of it! Love your pics of Newark Castle, somewhere I’ve never visited.
Hi Jo, many thanks for the congratulations, ha ha they are now nearly an old married couple of a week 🙂 it was a lovely event, long time in coming, but they did it in the end. Nipper is now much better and even I have learnt to give him his injections, I hate needles. I am trying to get some older photos on, I always seem to have a back log, but I am making a real effort to at least finish off 2016 Scotland’s holiday, before caring on with 2017 🙂 Newark Castle was a great surprise, I didn’t think so much was left, so a nice visit 🙂
Congratulations on your father’s wedding. 🙂 And having read the comments, I’m very happy to hear that Nipper is responding well to treatment and back home. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 they did have a wonderful day. Nipper is fine now with his injections, Steve is very good at giving them, no so me, I shake too much 🙂
I think once you can get into a routine the dog gets used to it and it all becomes easier. LM has to have cream in her eyes twice a day now – forever – and we were all rubbish at the process to start with!